


Venom Whispers

by Raneyth



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Last chapter will be where it earns the rating, M/M, Nobles being dicks, Protective Saurfang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:20:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28425381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raneyth/pseuds/Raneyth
Summary: Anduin is having an awful time and he’s taking it out on Saurfang. When Saurfang finds out WHY, he has to keep himself from sacking Stormwind a second time.
Relationships: Varok Saurfang/Anduin Wrynn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Sed as always for looking over the story and helping me review my work, even if I ended up posting the raw version first LOL.

Anduin clutched the war room table, his jaw clenching as he glared at the man on the opposite side. He had been trying for the last two hours to present a battle plan for the combined Alliance and Horde forces to fight against the army Sylvanas was amassing. Varok questioned every suggestion he made and picked apart each strategy. 

“Ok. I’m done. What’s your plan? Clearly, I have no idea what I’m doing, so what’s your plan?!” He asked, anger and exasperation evident in his tone. 

Saurfang’s gaze shot up from where he had been looking over the map they had been discussing and eyed the younger man, one brow raising at the display of anger. “I’m not trying to anger you, Anduin,” he stated, making sure to keep his tone of voice even. “If my questions are out of line, I apologize.”

Anduin growled at Saurfang’s capitulation, aware that continuing the conversation was inadvisable and that stepping away to collect himself and continue at a later time with a cooler head would be prudent. 

He was, however, also his father’s son. 

“Every suggestion I’ve given hasn’t been good enough, in your opinion! You seem very content to let me try to figure this all out on my own, but nothing will be good enough for you and the Horde!” He shouted. “Why am I bothering to talk through this with you if you’re just going to stand there and be useless?!” Anduin shouted, his irritation overriding his normal diplomacy. 

Saurfang could feel himself getting annoyed as the younger man berated him. “I’m providing you feedback based on years of leading armies. I’m trying to help you create a plan that won’t get us all killed! Pointing out weak spots is only going to allow us to be more successful in beating Sylvanas! Stop letting your feelings get hurt over suggestions that I don’t mean as a personal assault!” Varok snapped, unwilling to be a passive participant in a conversation that was swiftly going downhill.

“I’m letting my feelings get hurt?!” Anduin hissed, a red flush slowly crept up his throat. He started to stride around the table when a tiny movement at the corner of his vision caught his attention. He whipped his head around and realized that one of the palace guards that were usually still, in the background, must have shifted their weight. 

“Everyone out!” He commanded, watching as the guards hastily complied. 

Saurfang snorted as the room emptied. He waited until the last guard had exited and pulled the large wooden door shut. He rounded on the younger man, “Yes. You’re letting your feelings get hurt, and far be it from me to understand why!” He replied, growling at his mate. 

Anduin stubbornly met his gaze, “I’m not getting my feelings hurt, you ass! I want help from my mate, who seems content to browbeat me and grind my nose against my apparent failures!”

Saurfang took a step back at Anduin’s vehemence. “Where is this coming from?” He asked, his anger dissipating in his confusion. “What do you mean failures? We’re discussing battle plans. There have been no…failures.” He stepped in closer to Anduin, “Talk to me. What has you upset because I don’t think you’re mad about my opinions on how many troops to send to Boralus.” 

Anduin’s hands curled into fists, and Varok watched as he opened and closed his mouth a few times. Saurfang sighed heavily, “I think we need a break, cool our heads. Let’s take a couple of hours and come back with fresh eyes and calmer mindsets.” 

He started to turn away, and Anduin’s arm shot out and grabbed a tusk and yanked, hauling the bigger man back around, “Don’t turn away from me!” He snarled, blue eyes sparking. Saurfang growled before he could stop himself and stared at Anduin. The two men remained silently staring at each other for a few moments before Saurfang slowly reached up and gently pulled Anduin’s fingers from his tusk. 

Once Anduin’s hand released its hold, Saurfang straightened to his full height. He squeezed Anduin’s hand briefly before gently letting go. Anduin’s hand fell limply to his side. “I’ll return in a little bit,” he rumbled and strode out the door, leaving Anduin to watch his retreating back silently. 

Anduin stood breathing heavily out his nose for a few moments before he decided he needed to get away from the castle. Looking around the room, he saw a brown cloak folded on a table near some of the armor stands. Striding over, he pulled off his pauldrons, hanging them on one of the armor stands. “They should be fine there,” the young king muttered, not entirely believing himself.

Grabbing the cloak, he swung it around his shoulders and pulled the hood up. He quickly strode through the doorway and faded out from view. He hurriedly walked from the war room to the courtyard outside the throne room, trying to avoid his guards. He almost snorted out loud when one of his guards gave a confused, “Hmm?” as he silently strode past. 

Pausing a moment to recast his fade, he angrily stalked to the side of the platform. He skirted around the glowing eyes of Emissary Jademoon, and hugging the wall, made his way to the edge. 

He eyed the ledge for a moment, his fade ending as he tried to decide on his next move. A high-pitched voice piped up, interrupting his thoughts, “Hello, your highness!”

He froze for a moment and looked over his shoulder. As he looked, he saw a small child giving him a very earnest curtsy. 

Taking a deep breath and flipping the hood of his cloak down, he gave her the best smile he could muster, “Hello to you!”

He watched as she gave him a wide smile that faded to a concerned pout as she saw his expression. Anduin quirked an eyebrow as the young girl did her best version of sneaking towards him. She gestured for him to come closer. Anduin obliged her and knelt next to her. “Was he mean?” she whispered loudly in the way that only children could and still think they were keeping a secret.

Anduin’s eyes darted over to Jademoon and saw her stiffen for the briefest of moments before settling into a practiced relaxed stance. At least she was willing to pretend not to listen. 

Anduin gave her his best reassuring smile, “Was who mean?” he asked, already trying to figure out how to field her questions.

The young girl looked around before leaning even closer in, “Was the High Overlord mean?” she asked, her dark eyes meeting his with concern. 

Anduin schooled his face into his most convincing smile, “No. He wasn’t mean. Did we scare you?” he asked. He watched as she shyly nodded. Anduin gave her a more genuine grin, “Were you worried for me?” he asked, making his voice as teasing as he could. She gave him a shy smile and nodded again, hands clutching behind her back. 

Anduin pretended to look around as well before leaning in towards her, “Don’t worry for me. I’m perfectly safe with the High Overlord. Even if we fight, he’s my mate, he won’t hurt me,” he assured her, watching as she brightened at his words. 

Anduin stood back up and gazed down, “Thank you for cheering me up,” he said. 

“Of course!” the young girl piped up, giving him another curtsey. 

Anduin glanced back towards the throne room entrance where his guards were trying to look as unobtrusive as possible. They had undoubtedly been alerted to his location by the cheerful greeting he had received. Glancing back down at the young girl, he gave her a mischievous grin and held a finger up over his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet. She hunched down a little and made a zipping motion over her mouth. He once more faded from view, hearing her gasp, and walked backward off the ledge, casting levitate to keep himself from dropping into the water. 

Anduin started running for the opposite bank wanting to drop the flashy spell as quickly as possible. As soon as he had earth under his feet again, he dropped his magic and started making his way to the Dwarven District entrance. When he got to the dirt path that led to the gate, he checked around the corner to see where the guard posted there was. He said a quick thanks to the light that the man was at the bottom of the hill. He sprinted across the lane and, casting levitate again, dropped down to the water. 

He carefully inched along the cliff wall listening for the telltale sound of the guard’s plate mail armor clinking softly as the man proceeded up the hill on his path. Anduin dropped levitate again once he made it to the base of the trail. He quietly began running towards the entrance, and just as he crested the top of the stairs and made eye contact with the guards, he faded out from view again.   
“Your High-!” one of the guards managed a surprised greeting just as he disappeared from view. He quickly darted past them and made his way to the back alleys near the auction house. Hiding behind crates and fading out as necessary, he made his way through the back alleys until he finally reached the exit next to Stormwind Lake. A little more creative usage of fade and hiding finally got him to his destination. 

Quietly walking past the trees and large stone lions that held vigil over the peaceful corner of Stormwind Cemetery, he sat and leaned against the back of the stone memorial, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around himself. He breathed deeply and sighed, resting his chin on his knees before murmuring, “Hi, Momma. Sorry, I’m late today.”

While Anduin was busy jumping off the side of the keep and giving his guards heart attacks, Saurfang was stalking towards Old Town, determined to take his frustration out on the training dummies. 

As he strode into the practice area, he was surprised to see Master Wood holding the wooden practice axe that was made for him. Anduin had had it made after receiving too many complaints that Saurfang damaged the training dummies too much with his actual axe. The man gave him a wry grin as he passed over the training weapon, “I thought I’d see you here at some point today after the king’s guards ran out the front of the keep.”

Saurfang grunted, unsurprised that his mate would be causing his guards some trouble. Anduin didn’t often lose his temper as severely as he had today, but when he did, he usually ended up slipping his guards somehow for some private time. “Any training dummies you want me to avoid?” he asked, one brow quirking upwards. 

The dark-haired man sighed before gesturing him towards the shed behind most of the other dummies, “I had them build you something special and set it up in there. See if that will stand up better to your abuse.” Saurfang gave him a nod and strode over to the shed he’d been pointed to. Sure enough, inside, he saw a training dummy, and he let out a surprised laugh when he noticed the face on the dummy bore a passing resemblance to a certain worgen king. 

Hefting the practice axe, he let out a snarl and started swinging at the magically enhanced stuffed body. As he fell into a rhythm of swinging and dodging, he could feel the stress begin to ease from his shoulders. As he loosened up, his irritation faded, and he started to think through the argument. He was certain Anduin wasn’t actually upset over his suggestions on their battle plans. It certainly wasn’t the first time they had discussed joint Horde and Alliance deployments, and it certainly wasn’t the first time he had ever questioned a strategy his mate had put forth.

He grunted as his thoughts caused him to lose his focus, and he had to dodge quicker than expected to miss a swing from the practice dummy. “Hmmm...I almost got you.” a deep voice spoke up suddenly from close behind him. 

He whirled around and saw Genn, unshifted, watching him with an amused expression. He opened his mouth to reply, but once again, his lack of attention cost him as the training dummy whirled around again and smacked him soundly on the back of the head. He stumbled forward and got himself out of range of the still swinging arms as Genn mused, “Hmmph. Never mind. I did.” 

Saurfang huffed as he eyed the other man. “You knew about this?” He grunted, gesturing at the training dummy that had ceased swinging once the magic that powered it sensed it was no longer being engaged. 

Genn gave him a toothy grin, “I helped design it when Wood kept complaining about needing to build new ones.”

Saurfang’s snorted softly, “Well, it does hold up better than the regular models at least.” 

Genn gave him a non-committal hum before offering, “I heard Anduin was in a mood this morning.”

Saurfang’s eyes narrowed briefly at the abrupt change of topic. “We had some disagreements on the upcoming deployments,” he offered, keeping his tone bored. 

Genn leveled an unimpressed look in his direction. “Anduin jumped off the side of the keep and went running through the Dwarven District over some disagreements?” 

Saurfang clenched and released his jaw in irritation. “He might not have appreciated some of my feedback,” he stated, still trying his best to downplay the yelling match.

Genn nodded slowly. He was thoughtfully silent for a few moments, and Saurfang waited him out. Finally, he asked, “Did Anduin happen to mention anything to you about what today was?” he asked, his tone more careful than it usually was when they conversed. 

Varok felt irritation at the non-sensical jumps in conversation, and he wracked his brain, trying to remember if his mate had told him about the importance of the date. “He hadn’t mentioned anything to me,” he reluctantly admitted. He tried to ignore the ugly feeling welling up in his chest. What had Anduin not trusted him with? 

Genn growled softly in frustration, the noise not as commanding when he was in his human form. “Of course, he didn’t mention anything to you. Probably didn’t want to upset you,” he grumbled, more muttering to himself than speaking to Saurfang. 

“Would you stop mumbling and just tell me what I need to fix?” Saurfang growled out, his frustration with the day reaching its breaking point. 

Genn sighed heavily and slumped, “Today is the anniversary of Tiffin’s death, Anduin’s mother.” He eyed Saurfang to see if the significance occurred to him. 

Varok took in Greymane’s expression. “There’s more to this than Anduin mourning a mother he can hardly remember,” he stated, prompting Genn for more information. 

Genn huffed, “You aren’t wrong. Some of the members of the House of Nobles have recently been...reminding the king that she died during the Stonemason’s Guild riots.” Genn hesitated for a moment, debating how much to say as he watched Varok’s face, “They have also been insinuating that the riots would have never happened if...well if Stormwind had never been damaged during the wars. I’ve told Anduin to ignore them, especially since their decision not to pay the Stonemasons was what prompted the riots. Still, he insists that he can’t alienate the nobles right now because we need their funding for the war efforts.”

Varok could feel his breathing quickening as rage flooded through him, “They are telling Anduin his mother would be alive if not for my actions during the Second War is what you are trying to say,” he snarled, his words guttural with the anger flooding through him. “They’ve been whispering venom to my mate behind my back because the cowards think their gold earns them respect!” he swung his axe behind him, neatly burying it into the chest of the training dummy. 

The ensuing silence was broken only by the soft crackling of the training dummy slowly breaking in half, the top slumping off the side until it hit the wall of the shed. 

Genn sighed softly, “You know Anduin doesn’t pay them any mind. He knows the history of his city. He knows the history of the noble houses. Most importantly, he knows your history. He knew of your actions during the wars. He knows of your battles. He has always known what he was getting with you as his mate,” Genn sniffed, “If nothing, I personally made sure of that.” 

Varok took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. While he wanted nothing more than to find the nobles who had been antagonizing his mate and mete out his own justice, his priority needed to be to find Anduin and make sure he was ok. “You wouldn’t happen to have an idea of where he went, would you?” he asked, his tone still angry but calmer than it had been.

Genn’s mouth quirked into a half-grin, “Well, if the sudden reports of a ghostly figure phasing in and out around the cemetery have any merit, I’d hazard he went to visit his mother’s grave. Varian had her buried in the corner of the cemetery near the harbor. Apparently, she had always loved sailing when she could get Varian to agree. Also, it would provide the royal family some privacy when they wanted to visit.”

Varok nodded and started to head off towards the cemetery before pausing and turning back. He eyed the other man for a moment, “Why did you come to find me instead of sending someone else?” he asked. 

Genn snorted, “What. Would you have preferred this come from Shaw? As much as I find myself less than thrilled with all aspects of your relationship, you two make each other...happy.” Saurfang watched as Genn’s nose crinkled at the final word as if it pained him to say. 

Saurfang huffed softly, “I thank you for bringing the information to me yourself. If you will excuse me, I believe I need to have a conversation with my mate.” With that, he once again turned and started to make his way towards the towering cathedral at the city center and the cemetery behind it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saurfang and Anduin have a conversation and some annoyances are handily dealt with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here is the second chapter of this story! This contains the resolution, the third chapter, whenever I get around to it, is more of a fluff piece addition. This chapter hasn't been beta'd at all, so if you see anything glaringly awful, I apologize. I'll get it corrected once I have a chance to get some sleep and have someone look it over for me.

Saurfang was making people nervous.

Saurfang knew he was making people nervous.

While this was something that generally would carry some measure of amusement with it, he didn’t feel particularly amused at the moment. In the course of his day, he had had a loud argument with his mate, had a weird heart to heart with King Greymane of all people, and probably put himself on Master Wood’s shit list for violently murdering yet another training dummy. 

Oh, and the noble houses of Stormwind were doing their best to separate his mate from him by repeatedly reminding Anduin of his past deeds. 

He hadn’t even had his midday meal yet.

He sighed and continued to pace back and forth at the head of the path he had been informed by a nervous sounding groundskeeper led to the deceased queen’s grave. He ignored the fearful gazes of other visitors’ to the cemetery while he tried to decide his next steps. He was torn between wanting to comfort his mate and wanting to shake the younger man for not telling him sooner what the nobles had said to him.

He burned to confront the nobles and remind them of the amount of fear he could inspire, but that was, unfortunately, going to have to wait. He sighed heavily out his nose and stared upwards, reaching for calm. A few deep breaths later and he felt as ready as he could to speak with Anduin. 

He set off down the cobblestone path, noting that both sides were lined with neat rows of graves. He saw that most of the grave markers were decorated either with snarling lions or with monstrous faces as he walked. He paused when he noticed some of the grave markers had the relief of ribcages on them. Saurfang’s nose wrinkled up as he took in how humans remembered and celebrated their dead. 

A soft throat clearing interrupted his thoughts, and he jerked his head up in the direction of the noise. He made eye contact with two women, both of whom had red-rimmed eyes and had clearly been mourning a loved one. It seemed he had interrupted when he stopped and stared at the gravestone they were weeping next to, the expression on his face not helping at all. 

Saurfang could feel himself getting flustered at the put out expressions levelled his way. His ears pulled back as he muttered, “My apologies. Please excuse me.” With that, he made a hasty retreat and continued down the path. A few moments later, he found himself staring down two formidable stone lions and several smaller ones. He glanced approvingly at the flower boxes that at least gave some measure of celebration and appreciation for the late queen. 

He slowly approached the archway that led to the memorial. The guards stationed at each side of the entrance hardly glanced at him as he strode past. He quietly made his way to the stone tribute. As he approached, he spied a bit of blond hair sticking up from the monument’s opposite side. 

When Anduin made no motion to acknowledge his arrival, he sighed softly out his nose before turning his attention to the words carved into the queen’s monument. “Her Majesty Tiffin Ellerian Wrynn, the Queen of Stormwind, fair and just. A wit as quick as her smile. May the Light inherit your warmth, for our world grows cold in your absence,” he murmured to himself as he read the tribute.

He nodded absently and addressed the deceased monarch, “Well, now I know who gave my mate his charm.” He hesitated a moment before softly continuing, “I was recently made aware that today marks the commemoration of your death.” Anduin shifted quietly, and Saurfang made no indication he noticed as he determinedly continued, “I know that the people you fought for were also the people that took your life. I know that these people helped repair your city after my people destroyed it years before, and I know that all of these facts have been used lately against your son, by the cowards who truly failed your people in the first place.” He was unable to keep the growl out of his voice as he finished speaking. 

A glance showed that Anduin had moved to hear better, but he was currently making no effort to interrupt. Saurfang inhaled loudly through his nose before letting his breath out slowly. “I’ve made no secret of my past. I’ll never be able to atone for the atrocities I committed. The best that I can manage is to love your son as much as he will allow me and do my best to fight for his dream as long as I have strength in my body to do so.” His eyes dropped, and he looked over the garlands of flowers left in remembrance.

Varok could feel his throat getting tight, and he coughed to clear his voice, “I used to long for a warrior’s death. That was honorable. That was the best I could hope for. Your son, my mate, has shown me that there is more to life than fighting. That striving for true peace is honorable.” He snorted softly to himself, “I never thought it possible that someone could make me desire a quiet death. I was determined to meet my end headfirst and howling. I don’t...I don’t want that anymore.” 

He stood quietly, not knowing quite what else to say, and waited for Anduin to acknowledge him. A soft hiccup drew his attention a few moments later. “Anduin?” he asked quietly and started to walk around to the back of the memorial. As he rounded the other side, Anduin hunched his shoulders and flipped the hood of his cloak over his head. Saurfang dropped to one knee next to his mate and tilted his head to see the younger man’s face. “Talk to me,” he implored. 

Anduin met his gaze, blue eyes rimmed with red, and wet trails streaked down his face, “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. 

Saurfang gave him a soft look and cradled Anduin’s face, one thumb gently wiping his cheeks dry. “I’m sorry as well. I didn’t see your struggle. I had to be told by the old wolf,” he stated, voice thick with self-recrimination. 

Anduin sniffed loudly, “I should have come to you sooner about it, instead of letting it fester. I just…” Anduin took in a shuddering breath, “I just can’t afford to make a wrong decision right now with the nobles. We need the funding they provide if we have any hope of defeating Sylvanas.” 

Varok growled softly, “The nobles need to be reminded of their place. You are High King, and they have no business commenting on how you live your life if it doesn’t harm your people or the war efforts.”

Anduin’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned, “It’s not that ea-” he began, and Saurfang cut him off by covering his mouth with one large thumb. 

“It’s not that easy if you alone try to change them. Let me help. Let Greymane help. Do you think the old man wouldn’t do almost anything for you? He considers you a son.” Varok pushed the hood of Anduin’s cloak back and gently tilted Anduin’s chin up, “Trust us to help you handle this. It isn’t a weakness to let others help.”

Anduin gave him a small shaky smile, “To think you would be lecturing me on that,” he said, his smile growing more confident when Saurfang clucked him under the chin for his sass. Anduin’s smile faded as he asked, “How would you and Genn even convince them to listen to you without them being able to take that as an opportunity to undermine my authority? If I can’t handle the nobles on my own, how can I consider the issue closed?”

Saurfang didn’t even try to stop the toothy grin that crossed his face, “I have an idea on that. However, we should get back to the keep first to discuss it,” he paused for a moment before adding, “I’d also like to hear about your mother if you know of any stories about her?”

The smile Anduin gave him, both grateful and loving, urged him to lean forward and nuzzle his mate briefly before pulling Anduin’s hood back over his head, earning him a squawk. “Let’s go,” he rumbled softly and pulled Anduin to his feet. 

He gave Anduin’s hand a reassuring squeeze before attempting to drop his grip. He was startled when Anduin determinedly kept a hold of his hand and pushed his hood back. At Varok’s confused look, he got flustered and blushed. “I’m not ashamed to be seen with you, and my people, all of my people, need to get used to it.” 

Saurfang couldn’t stop the please rumble that boomed from his chest, and he pulled Anduin in close, his arms curling around the younger man. He buried his face in his mate’s hair; another happy grumble escaping him. 

Anduin buried his face in Varok’s chest and allowed his mate to surround him. After a few minutes, he allowed himself to slump forward, more weight leaning on the older man. Varok’s happy rumbling soothing away the hurt and stress he’d been carrying. A few minutes more and he reluctantly pulled back. “We really should head back to the keep,” he stated, giving Varok a soft grin. 

Saurfang returned the grin, and when Anduin held a hand out, he immediately wrapped the younger man’s hand in his. Anduin turned towards the memorial, “Thank you, momma,” he said softly. Anduin watched as Saurfang silently curled his free hand in a fist and gently tapped it against the head of the memorial. 

Together they walked out of the memorial, the guards straightening up and exclaiming, “Your highness!” They both hastily saluted as Anduin and Varok exited the monument. 

Anduin gave them both a nod. “Thank you both for your diligence and care when watching over my mother,” he stated quietly. 

Both guards appeared to get flustered at the unexpected praise, “Of-of course!” one exclaimed. They both saluted again, not seeming to know quite how to react. 

Saurfang snorted softly at the flustered guards, and Anduin discreetly elbowed him in the ribs, “Be nice,” Anduin whispered, as they continued past. 

The walk back to the keep was relatively uneventful, aside from walking past one man outside the cathedral who was yelling about, “The dead walk among us!” and a guard trying to explain, “They are called the Undead, and everyone knows about them.” 

One Anduin and Saurfang made it back to the keep, Anduin was appropriately contrite to his head of guards, “I am very sorry for causing worry by jumping off the side of the keep,” he stated to the frowning man.

“Your highness, please try to remember that terrifying and eluding your guards just creates undue stress and alarm,” he said, sounding more resigned than angry. 

Saurfang watched quietly from the side as Anduin placated his head guard and promised to be more mindful in the future. He quirked one brow as he noticed Anduin casually cross his fingers on one of his hands, hiding the gesture next to his leg. 

Saurfang was not the only one to notice as one of Anduin’s guards let out a soft, sad noise. The head of guards closed his eyes for a moment at the noise before inhaling loudly through his nose, “Well, I’m sure we will all be more mindful in the future,” he stated. He saluted Anduin, who returned the salute, executed a sharp about-face, and strode off radiating disapproval. 

Anduin watched him exit the throne room. Once he had left, he turned to his guards, “I apologize for the concern I caused you all today. I needed some time away, and in my desire for quiet, I didn’t consider how it would affect each of you. As your king, that is not acceptable on my part. I am giving each of you a week of paid leave whenever you choose, and I will relegate your reports for the next month to trainees.”

One of the guards nervously cleared his throat, “Sir?” he asked.

Anduin gestured for him to speak.

“If you need...we know how things are right now...if you need space just tell us. Let us still do our duty, but we can protect you while giving you privacy when you need it,” the guard said earnestly. 

Anduin nodded, “I will keep that in mind next time I need to leap off a building,” he said, giving his guards a self-deprecating grin earning a few muffled chuckles from the group. 

“Alright. I’ve caused you all enough trouble for the day. You’re all dismissed until tomorrow. The keep guards will keep me safe for the rest of the day,” Anduin stated. 

His guards saluted, and he returned the salute. 

As the guards trailed out of the room, Genn entered, giving a curious look to all the departing guards. “Did you fire all your guards?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow at Anduin. 

“I gave them the rest of the day off due to the extra work they put in today,” Anduin replied. “I am glad you are here, though. Varok has something he wishes to discuss with both of us.”

The older king gave Saurfang an appraising look, “Oh? This about our discussion earlier?” 

Saurfang returned his gaze, “It is,” he replied. “I have an idea I think will address several...concerns at once.”

Genn raised both eyebrows, “Oh? I assume I’m involved if you need to discuss it with me.”

Varok nodded his chin to the side, “You are, let’s discuss this in Anduin’s office. I want to make sure we have privacy.”

The three men walked off to Anduin’s office, where Saurfang laid out his plan. 

A week later, Anduin sent a summons to the noble houses’ heads to assemble at the keep. The nobles slowly began to arrive at the keep and were led to the throne room. As they arrived at the throne room, they were greeted with Anduin sitting on the throne and Saurfang standing to the side of the throne, scowling. 

As the nobles continued to arrive, Anduin remained sitting on his throne, solemnly staring them down. He didn’t greet any of the nobles as they arrived and slowly tapped one finger on the throne’s arm as they slowly gathered. 

As time passed and more nobles arrived with no acknowledgment from Anduin, they began to grow more and more agitated. Finally, one of the nobles decided to speak up, “Ahh… your highness?” Count Ridgewell spoke up. 

Anduin turned his gaze on the older man and slowly lifted an eyebrow, his finger pausing in its rhythmic tapping. When he received no verbal prompting from the younger man, the count plowed on, “Obviously, you are very busy, and we have a lot to address with the situation with the Banshee Queen. Did you perhaps bring us here to discuss that?” 

Anduin’s mouth slowly curled up in a humorless grin, “I will address why I have summoned you here when you are all here. We’re still missing Lescovar,” he stated, his voice cold with authority. 

Ridgewell, uncertain how to proceed with the king acting so out of character, grew silent for the moment. Anduin resumed his rhythmic tapping until they were suddenly interrupted by a pale, shaking Lord Lescovar bursting into the throne room. 

Anduin spoke up, “Ah. Lord Lescovar, how good of you to decide to join us finally,” he stated, his voice ringing over the quiet room. 

The burly man’s head whipped around at the sound of the young king speaking up, and he opened his mouth to speak until his gaze landed on the large orc quietly scowling next to the throne. His face somehow grew even paler before a violent rush of color mottled his face and neck. 

“I’m very sorry for my delay, your highness,” he stated, his voice hoarse, his eyes never leaving Saurfang’s. The warrior narrowed his eyes briefly, and the large lord stumbled a step back, bumping into one of the other lords. 

Anduin sniffed, “Well, now that you are all gathered, I can finally get to the reason I summoned you all here,” he stood up from the throne, so he was towering over the assembled lords. “For some time now, several of you have been taking every opportunity to speak ill to me about my mate. I want to be very clear to all of you that stops now. I will no longer be patient with anyone who wants to tell me about my mate as if I wasn’t completely aware of every aspect of his life and history. Do not mistake my age for lack of intelligence. Anyone who decides to take action against my mate in the future will be guaranteeing themselves a conversation with SI:7 to make sure that you are still faithful to your service of Stormwind and her people. Do I make myself completely clear?”

Silence descended over the throne room. 

Several lords shot looks to Lord Lescovar, who was staring determinedly at the ground and refusing to meet anyone else’s gaze. 

Anduin’s voice pulled everyone’s attention once more, “I am afraid I will need to hear that you all understand,” he said softly, but no less commandingly. 

“Aye,” Lord Lescovar’s voice spoke up first, a miserable waver to the word. 

With Lord Lescovar speaking up first, the rest of the lords followed suit with varying degrees of assent. 

Anduin nodded slowly, “I thank you all for your attention to this matter. You are all dismissed.”

Lord Lescovar made a hasty retreat out the exit as soon as they were dismissed, his gait just below a run. The rest of the lords exited at a more sedate pace, some quiet confusion washing over the group at the brawny lord’s quick retreat. 

Once the throne room was empty, Anduin heaved a sigh of relief and slumped into the throne. He turned towards the large figure standing next to him, “Thank you, Genn. This idea wouldn’t have worked without you.”

The form of Saurfang shimmered as Genn dropped the illusion. “I didn’t think this was going to go as well as it did,” he stated. He sniffed and looked over to the corner, “You can come out now,” he rumbled. 

Saurfang slowly faded into view from where he had been standing in a corner near the entrance. He walked over to where Anduin was sitting and cradled the younger man’s face in his hands, “I’m so proud of you,” he rumbled, before lowering his forehead to rest against Anduin’s. He looked over to Greymane, who was deliberately looking elsewhere. 

“Thank you for your help,” he said, his voice full of gratitude. 

Greymane huffed, “Well, the plan wouldn’t have worked if you didn’t execute your part correctly.”

Anduin perked up, “That is very true. How did that go? Lescovar was terrified when he arrived.”

Varok gave them both a toothy grin and proceeded to tell them what happened while they were waiting. 

~~~20 min earlier~~~

Lord Lescovar grinned widely to himself as he swaggered into Stormwind Keep. He was looking forward to the impromptu meeting and was thinking of ways to undermine the young king. His relationship with that...beast...was an affront to Stormwind, and it was his duty to urge the king to rethink his decision. That he found enjoyment in the king’s look of misery every time he found a new angle to use to disparage the king’s offensive relationship was just icing on the cake. 

As he walked down the hallway to the throne room, a large hand suddenly shot out from a dark side room, grabbed him by the throat, and pulled him into the darkness. 

“How dare-“ he started to exclaim, his words cut off abruptly when he was slammed face-first into a wall. He grunted in pain then wheezed when several large fingers wrapped around his throat. 

“Now. You are going to want to listen to what I have to say,” Saurfang growled softly. “I understand you have been discussing my history with your king. Now, I don’t care about what you think about me. However, I do care that you seem to be delighting in making my mate miserable and encouraging the other lords to join in. That’s going to stop, and it’s going to stop now.”

Lescovar gave a rasping laugh, “How are you going to stop me, orc?” He grunted when Saurfang’s fingers tightened momentarily around his throat. 

Saurfang leaned down to murmur in the other man’s ear. “The king has recently been made aware that you have been continuing in your father’s stead as a spy for the Twilight Hammer.” Lescovar froze, the color draining from his face. 

“Now. What happens next depends on you. The king can declare you a traitor, show the evidence from SI:7 to your fellow lords, and have you publicly executed,” a high pitched noise of alarm issued from Lord Lescovar. 

Saurfang chuckled darkly and yanked the smaller man around and pinned him back against the wall by his throat. “The other option you have is to agree to be a double agent. You will be magically monitored for the rest of your life. You will work with SI:7 to bring down the Twilight Hammer, and you immediately start showing your king support in everything he asks of you.”

Lescovar was close to hyperventilating as Saurfang leaned in close, “Now. Can I assume you want to go with the choice that leaves you alive?” Lescovar nodded rapidly. Saurfang smirked, “Look at that. Already being cooperative.”

He released the smaller man and stood back, “I believe you have a meeting you are late for,” 

Lescovar straightened his clothes, “This isn’t over orc,” he rasped. 

Saurfang smirked, “What isn’t over? I wasn’t even here,” he then snarled, “Now get to the meeting.”

Lescovar watched as Saurfang faded from view and stumbled backward out of the room. He hastily made his way to the throne room, where he was horrified to see the orc standing calmly, albeit grumpily, next to the throne. Had he just confessed his traitorous actions to someone in disguise?! 

The rest of the short meeting passed in a horrifying blur for Lescovar, who bolted as soon as he could to get back home and try to do damage control.

Unfortunately for Lescovar, the plan had been contingent on information gathered by SI:7, and Shaw, of all people, was waiting for him at his home. 

~~~Back to present time~~~

Genn smiled in satisfaction as Saurfang recounted his encounter with the traitorous lord. When they had summoned Shaw to the keep to dig up dirt on Lescovar, they had all been surprised when the man readily procured a dossier covering his secret meetings with Twilight Hammer fanatics. Apparently, SI:7 had almost finished an investigation into the man and had already been planning to bring the information to Anduin’s attention in the coming days. 

Anduin looked a little sad as he spoke up, “I wish the lords hadn’t pushed the issue as far as they did. I didn’t want to have to handle this with a show of strength, but even I can admit it was very effective.”

Saurfang rumbled softly and pulled the younger man into a hug. “You reminded them of what was and was not acceptable as lords of Stormwind. You removed the primary agitator, cutting off the followers from their leader, and set expectations with them going forward. Leading is full of conversations you don’t want to have, and you handled this conversation with skill. In addition to that, you are now one step closer to finding a means to overthrow that damned cult. I’d say that’s a pretty satisfactory result.” 

Anduin sighed before nodding his head, “I supposed, if nothing else, it didn’t involve yelling, so that’s always a plus.”

Varok grinned and ruffled his mate’s hair earning him a disgruntled squawk. 

Genn gave them both a look, lips pursing as if he ate something a little sour, before stating, “Anduin, I’m very proud of you. However, I’ll leave you two to celebrate. I think I’ll go check in with Master Wood and see if he needs any new ideas for an improved training dummy.” He gave Saurfang a significant look before heading out of the throne room. 

Varok grinned and looked at Anduin, who was giving him a curious look, “I’ll tell you about it over lunch, I’m starving.”

Anduin snorted and led the way off to his private dining room, where their midday meal was set up. “Please do tell. I’m so curious why one of my advisors is helping to design training dummies of all things.” 

Varok smiled and gladly launched into his story while they ate.


End file.
